Runners with knee problems may be interested in the “Pose” technique. It was developed by a Russian sports trainer who advises runners to use short steps at a high rate of turnover, and landing with bent knee and weight over the ball of the foot. Sort of running like a cat. There are differences over whether it works, but the famed sports doctor Tim Noakes evaluated it in the lab and found that it significantly reduced the stress on the knee joint. He worried, however, that the stress was transferred to the Achilles tendon.

In more detail, here is what you do: The runner leans forward while keeping the head, shoulders, buttocks and foot (the one on the ground) in a straight line. The knee is slightly bent with weight on the ball of the foot. In fact you land on the ball instead of the heel as usual (like sprinters do). The idea is that forward motion is just a matter of falling forward.

When I *truly* began running (more than 20 miles/week) a friend of mine who'd run a few marathons had seen me running one day and asked if I followed the Pose system. Since I had no idea what she was talking about, I did some research and discovered that my natural running mechanics were similar to Pose, i.e., leaning forward, landing flat-footed, etc.

It's not caused me any problems, although, seeing as it is my natural way to run and I'm not forcing a certain stride, it works for me.

I seem to remember reading an article a few months ago that reviewed the Pose method, and was somewhat critical of it. It might have been Trail Runner or Runner's World. I don't recall the exact details now, but I think the reviewers felt that the claimed benefits of the technique had not been adequately proven with controlled experiments, and that it increased the chance of other types of injuries, such as those mentioned by Noakes. I'll see if I can find the original reference.